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"Silk and spices" festival

"Silk and spices" festival

Spring is a good time to travel to Uzbekistan. At the moment there are several festivals taking place in Uzbek towns and villages. And one of these festivals is the "Silk and Spices" festival which usually takes place at the end of May.  It is the most colorful and fragrant event. During this festival, you will discover Uzbek customs and traditions. Several folk troupes arriving from different regions participate, as well as the designers of the traditional clothes, present their works. This travel takes you to the oriental tales, everywhere in the alleys artisans sell thin and shiny silk scarves, and potters create products covered with exquisite ornaments...    

7 DaysDiscovery toursUzbekistan

  • 2 people: $1,035

  • 4 people: $885

  • 6 people: $810

  • 8 people: $786

  • 10 people: $615

  • Starting from

    USD

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    Program

    
            Tashkent International airport - Tashkent
    Arrival in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan
    Tashkent International airport - Tashkent

    Arrival in Tashkent in the morning. Reception at the airport, transfer to a local restaurant for breakfast.
    Visit to the capital of Uzbekistan, located at the crossroads of caravan routes, connecting Europe and India.
    Panoramic tour through the Independence Perspective, Place de Théâtre Navoï and Square Amir Timour.
    Visit of the most beautiful metro stations, the first metro in Central Asia; each of its stations is different and has been decorated by the country's greatest artists.
    The Khast-Imam ensemble in the heart of old Tashkent: the Madrasa Barakhan, a magnificent 16th century monument and seat of the Grand Mufti of Central Asia. Continue to the Moyie Mubarek Library Museum and the Juma Mosque.
    Visit of the Tchorsu grand bazaar (except Monday) and the Kukeldach medersa (XVI century).
    Visit of the Museum of Applied Arts, the former palace of the tsar's diplomat transformed into a museum in 1938. We will discover a fine collection of embroidery, pottery, ceramics, woodcarvings, musical instruments and traditional jewelry.
    Night at the hotel.

    Breakfast Lunch Dinner
    16 km
    00:20
    03:00
    
            Tashkent - Samarkand
    Discovery of Samarkand
    Tashkent - Samarkand

    Transfer to the station at 06:00 on the Afrosiab train which departs at 07:00 and arrives at 09:14 (300 km). We start the tour in the city.  Samarkand is located in the valley of the river Zerafshan. It is the second largest city in Uzbekistan and is as old as the cities of Babylon or Rome. You will visit the Ulugh Beg Observatory, founded by Ulugh Beg in the 15th century, one of Samarkand’s most famous leaders and scientists. While working at the observatory, Ulugh Beg developed the “Ziji Guragoni” catalog in 1437, which contained information on 1018 celestial bodies. Unfortunately, he was killed at the behest of his own son. Afterwards, you can walk along the local Broadway and discover souvenir shops, tea rooms, sweets, and various workshops. You will also visit the Siab bazaar, where you can buy traditional Uzbek crafts and local sweets. Today you will also see the carpet factory, a unique hand-made carpet factory that employs over 400 women. They weave carpets by hand without using traditional methods.  Overnight at the hotel.

    Breakfast Lunch Dinner
    21:05
    
            Samarkand - Bukhara
    Siga conociendo la ciudad de Samarcanda
    Samarkand - Bukhara

    Hoy continuarás conociendo la ciudad de Samarcanda. Visitará los lugares más famosos de esta ciudad, como la plaza Régistan, la necrópolis Shakhi Zinda, el mausoleo Gour-Emir y la mezquita Bibi Khanoum. La plaza Régistan es un conjunto de tres medusas que fascinan por su aspecto y que datan de los siglos XV-XVII. Es la principal atracción de Samarcanda, cuya belleza y grandeza nunca dejan de admirar. El complejo arquitectónico de Shakhi Zinda es un conjunto de mausoleos de los siglos XI-XV, inscrito en la Lista del Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO. La mezquita Bibi Khanoum se construyó en honor de la amada esposa de Tamerlan tras su exitosa campaña en la India. A continuación, la visita continuará en la ciudad de Bujará.

    Breakfast Lunch Dinner
    03:00
    
            Bukhara - Bukhara
    Day visit of Bukhara
    Bukhara - Bukhara

    Bukhara, one of the oldest cities of Central Asia, made famous by its former carpet market, city museum in the middle of the sands. Bukhara will delight you with the atmosphere of its old streets and its remarkable monuments that take us back to the medieval period and well before: mausoleum Ismail Samani (ninth-tenth centuries), Chashma Ayub mausoleum (XII-XIV century), the famous bazaar of Bukhara, together Bola Hauz (eighteenth century), Citadel Ark (I. -IVème centuries.). Lunch at a local restaurant in the modern city. Following the discovery; all Poi-Kalian (XV-XVI centuries) which consists of the Kalon mosque, Kalon minaret and madrasah Miri Arab. 

    Breakfast Lunch Dinner
    8 km
    04:00
    
            Bukhara - Bukhara
    The festival day
    Bukhara - Bukhara

    Today we have a unique opportunity to participate in the festival «Silk and spices». Within the framework of this festival, there are presentations of folk collectives from all over the country, popular games, different master classes and fashion presentations of young creators from Uzbekistan. Participants of the festival go through a noisy procession from the gates of the Ark fortress to the complex of Lyabi Khaouz, the heart of ancient Bukhara.

    Breakfast Lunch Dinner
    
            Bukhara - Tashkent
    Excursión por los alrededores de Bujará y, a continuación, viaje en tren a Tashkent.
    Bukhara - Tashkent

    Hoy realizarás una excursión por los alrededores de Bujará. Primero visitará el complejo Baghaoddin Naqshbandi, situado a pocos kilómetros de Bujará. Se trata de un complejo conmemorativo del famoso jefe sufí y filósofo, uno de los principales centros de peregrinación musulmana. El jeque Baghaoddin Naqshbandi fue uno de los maestros espirituales del emir Timur. En la actualidad, el complejo incluye las mezquitas de Kushbegi y Muzafarokhan; un patio con piscina; una madrasa; la tumba de los gobernantes de Bujará y una dakhma sobre la tumba del santo Baghaoddin Naqshbandi. Tras la visita, le llevaremos a la estación de Bujará, desde donde se dirigirá a la ciudad de Tashkent.

    Breakfast Lunch Dinner
    444 km
    04:00
    
            Tashkent - Tashkent International airport
    Transfer to Tashkent International airport
    Tashkent - Tashkent International airport

    Transfer to Tashkent International Airport. Depending on your flight schedule, the guide will accompany you to the airport and help you check in for your flight. We hope you enjoyed your trip and invite you back to explore other Central Asian countries with us.

    Breakfast Lunch Dinner
    4 km
    00:20
    0 m
    0 m

    With the help of Nomad's Land we had one of the most unforgettable trips of our lives this winter. Starting in Bishkek we headed east towards Karakol where our adventure was set to start. We spent 10 days exploring the region surrounding Issyk Kul and Song-Kul, crossing valleys, streams and mountains on horseback with our wonderful guide Mikel. The experiences we had during our trip would not have been possible without the network and organization of Nomad's Land. Within a week of our trip ending we have already started to look at the other trips they have to offer and will definitely travel with them again in the future. While traveling in the winter is not always the easiest, the trip we had was certainly rewarding. If you are up for the challenge, Kyrgyzstan in the winter is a special experience that more people should consider!

    Andrew Curran

    We spent this summer three weeks with family (parents and adult children) in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, with a trip to the city of Kashgar in Sinkiang (China) .Nomads' Land organized all the Kyrgyzstan and China part as well as the trips to Uzbekistan. You can work with them with your eyes closed: impeccable organization, enthusiastic and passionate guide (also speaking perfectly French), good choice of accommodation and activities. Very pleasant preparation with Fabien, who is attentive and has concocted a trip to us. All for good value for money. Allow at least 10 days for Kyrgyzstan to really enjoy it. The change of scenery is total and the way of life is authentic. Expect "average" comfort but the superb landscapes and the amazing welcome of the Kyrgyz people will give you unforgettable memories. To fully enjoy it, nothing like walking: you will go on beautiful hikes: Altyn Arashan, Song Kul, Lenin peak ... They are all doable but still require good condition, especially that of Lenin peak (base camp to camp 1), which is quite long and demanding (allow 10-12 hours round trip), but it is the most impressive. To reach the south of Kyrgyzstan, you have the choice between a few hundred km of tiring tracks or to make a detour through China and the city of Kashgar. The road is excellent and the city itself is worth the effort (with the added bonus of "Western-style" comfort which feels good). However, it was necessary to endure two days of painful police checks between Kashgar and the border, with an occupying army (Han Chinese, from the east) omnipresent. So it's up to you to decide (knowing that this "detour" is quite expensive considering the short season and the few tourists). After Kyrgyzstan, we visited the cities of the Silk Road in Uzbekistan: Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. Impressive and superb monuments, a very rich history, few tourists and a very pleasant atmosphere. The historic centers are not very extensive and can easily be visited on foot. Do not forget Khiva: it is the smallest of the three but the atmosphere is peaceful and timeless, you sometimes have the impression of going back 100 years. This trip was really exceptional, thank you again to Fabien, Murat and the whole team.

    Olivier

    On your way

    Tashkent UZ

    Tashkent is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. The officially registered population of the city in 2012 was about 2,309,300. Due to its position in Central Asia, Tashkent came under Sogdian and Turkic influence early in its history, before Islam in the 8th century AD. After its destruction by Genghis Khan in 1219, the city was rebuilt and profited from the Silk Road. In 1865 it was conquered by the Russian Empire, and in Soviet times witnessed major growth and demographic changes due to forced deportations from throughout the Soviet Union. Today, as the capital of an independent Uzbekistan, Tashkent retains a multi-ethnic population with ethnic Uzbeks as the majority.

    Bukhara UZ

    In the shade of mulberry trees, the city of Bukhara was an important stop on the Silk Road. A museum city that testifies to the rich past of Central Asia.

    Bukhara- Buqaraq of the sogdienwhich would mean "fortunate place" and Vihara in Sanskrit which means a Buddhist monastery. 

    It is a city in Uzbekistan, located in the south-central part of the country. It is located on the lower reaches of the Zarafshan River, in the middle of an oasis, on the eastern edge of the Kyzyl Kum desert. It was connected by caravan routes to Mervet to the valleys of the rivers Amu-Darya and Syr-Darya (Naryn)

    In the ninth century, the city becomes the capital of the Persian Samanid dynasty (875-999) and the appearance of the city is changed again: eleven access gates are observed, the "rabad" (suburb) extends around the inner part ("chakhristan"), the population increases significantly, professions determine the place of residence, many mausoleums and mosques are built (including the mausoleum of the Samanids)

    In 999, the city was invaded by the Qarakhanids. At that time, monuments, still visible today, were built: the minaret of Arslan-Khana (Kalian minaret), the mosque of Magoki-Attari, the mosque of Namezgokh, the mausoleum of Chashma-Ayub (the source of Job)

    Bukhara gave its name to the bougran, a strong canvas used in the lining of clothes, spelled boquerant by Marco Polo.

    Bukhara is also the generic name given to Turkmen carpets, the main trading center of which is the Ashgabat Bazaar. These carpets are subdivided into teke andyomouth, the names of the two main Turkmen tribal families. Their very typical style can be easily recognized because the decoration of the field consists of the repetition of the same decorative motif, the goul, emblem of the weaver tribe.

    The 140 monuments protected by UNESCO testify to the historical and cultural richness of this city.

    The Ark Citadel
    The Bolo Hauz Mosque
    The Magok-i-Attari Mosque
    The Po-i-Kalon complex
    The Koch madrasas etc

    Samarkand UZ

    Samarkand is famous for its surprisingly long history - it is one of the oldest cities in the world, founded 8 centuries BC. In the old days, this city was the most important point connecting East and West, and the Silk Road passed through Samarkand. Therefore, here, as nowhere else, a huge number of cultural and historical monuments have been preserved - such as mausoleums, museums, mosques, the ruins of ancient settlements and much more.

    Samarkand was proclaimed in 2001 by UNESCO crossroads of cultures and world heritage site.

    Info

    What is included

    • All transportation in a private vehicle

    • All airport transfers

    • Accommodation as described in the program

    • Meals (3 per day)

    • Bottled water & tea

    • English-speaking guide

    • All the activities listed in the program

    • Entry fees at national parks and/or border zones listed in the program

    • Entry fees at museums and historical sites listed in the program

    • Domestic flights mentioned in the program

    • A contribution to our sustainable development projects

    • Organisation of the trip & local taxes

    What is not included

    • International flights

    • International banking fees (PayPal, ...)

    • Travel & repatriation insurance

    • Visas / LOI (if applicable)

    • Alcoholic and soft drinks

    • Personal expenses

    • Additional costs due to unexpected personal events (health, loss of luggage, ...)

    • Tips for guide & driver (always optional, always appreciated)

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    Postal address

    Nezhinsky lane 27

    Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

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